Taming the Beast
by CleoArrow
Summary: After an incident with Adonis, The Beast inside of Beast Boy is getting too dangerous, and Robin wants to do the unthinkable. Raven and Beast Boy must take it upon themselves to tame his Beast, but Adonis has returned for revenge. And Raven. BB/Rae
1. Adonis is Angry

**Welcome to Taming the Beast, the newest story chosen by my voters. The style will be slightly darker than my previous fanfiction, but naturally there will be humor as well. I hope you all enjoy it!**

* * *

"Team, we've got a problem." The Titans looked up from their everyday activities to focus their attentions on Robin. Their leader stood in the ops room's entryway with his arms spread out to the sides, having forced the doors open in his haste to reach his team. The exigency in his stance told the Titans to drop whatever they were doing, and they did so immediately, getting to their feet. Robin fixed his eyes on the teenagers, apprehension in his expression. He took a deep breath before relaying the emergency to his team.

"Adonis is angry."

* * *

The ride to Adonis's sighting was silent, and filled the T-car with tension. The witnesses to Adonis's transformation had said nothing concerning the cause of his anger, but the possibilities were so endless that taking him down without anyone getting hurt was the Titans' first priority. The team could figure out the reason to his change sometime later, after dealing with Adonis.

Many of the Titans in the car were lost in their own thoughts regarding their first serious encounter with the villain. Along with Adonis's original transformation due to chemicals, it had also been the first time the Titans saw the darker side of Beast Boy through his form of The Beast. Adonis, in his monstrous form, had broken into the tower to attack Beast Boy, and crossed paths with Raven by accident. He'd injured her, but Beast Boy had managed to fight the rival Beast off in the end. Anger was what provoked The Beast, and while Beast Boy had been administered medicine for his monster inside -as had Adonis, though against his will- it was possible to draw the creature out if either Beast Boy or Adonis became enraged enough. Although they were able to stay in control during the change into The Beast –for the most part, - neither could restrain their actions once in the animalistic state.

Ten full minutes of silence was broken by Robin, and the Titans' leader looked at Beast Boy through the rearview mirror. "I know what you must be thinking, Beast Boy," he addressed the green teenager, "but don't worry. If you feel yourself getting mad, duck out before you change."

Beast Boy was staring out the window at the indigo sky filled with stars. He nodded. "Yeah, I know."

Robin directed his attention to his communicator, pointing down an alleyway, and Cyborg turned the wheel. Raven glanced at the shape-shifter who sat quietly beside her. Under normal circumstances, she would be grateful for such silence from him, but thanks to their last encounter with The Beast and Adonis, she worried for how he was handling the situation. The emotion brushing off of him was faint, but it was enough that she recognized traces of restraint and self-discipline. She, along with the rest of the team, hoped nothing would happen to cause his Beast's appearance.

"There he is, man," Cyborg muttered, alerting everyone to Adonis's presence. The villain was at the end of the alleyway, crouching over the remains of a trash bin. A giant furred hand dragged something mushy from the mound of destroyed garbage, the pulp dripping from large claws. In the faint light provided by the stars, a sharpened canine tooth glinted as the hunched creature flung rubbish to the side. Cyborg flicked the vehicle's headlights down to low and sent the T-car crawling closer.

"Easy," Robin whispered. "We don't want to provoke him." Even though he'd already been aware of what Robin was telling him, Cyborg nodded tensely in response. He knew his leader was saying it more for himself than the rest of the team so to keep his nerves calm. They drew nearer to Adonis with extreme caution, and everyone in the vehicle jumped when he suddenly whipped his head toward the T-car. Growling so loud that the terrifying sound could be heard even through the vehicle's frame, he faced them and crept over the ground in their direction. The fur on his back bristled.

"Turn around!" Beast Boy shouted, uncaring how loud he was being. He recognized the coiling before the spring in the Beast's stance and knew they had seconds before the attack. Adonis was controlled by instinct, and, being a trapped animal, he was given the choice to fight or flight. His decision was obvious.

"I can't!" Cyborg cried, struggling to shift into reverse as fast as he could. "We're in an alleyway! I can only _just_ fit the car through here to begin with!" Adonis's beastly shadow stretched far over the ground, and -in the same moment that Cyborg jerked into reverse- the beast sprung with extended claws. Raven grabbed Beast Boy and Starfire by the arms, and fazed through the roof. Robin dove out of the side door, and, following his example, Cyborg abandoned the wheel. Adonis crashed through the windshield, glass shards spraying everywhere like glitter. Cyborg's non-electronic eye widened. The pane had been top of the line, and Adonis's attack had shattered the window with a single stroke. As if to prove his strength more, Adonis flipped off of the T-car with amazing agility and then flung the automobile further down the abandoned street. None of the Titans were in its path, and, as the car exploded in a detonation of orange flame, Robin stepped in front of his team.

"Titans, go!" he commanded, extracting a pole from his belt. Cyborg cocked his hand cannon and let lose a barrage of blue beams, accompanied by black blasts from Raven. Adonis howled, glaring at the two, but before he could move, Beast Boy morphed into a tiger and sprang onto his adversary. Roaring, Adonis hurled the shape-shifter through the air. Starfire flew after Beast Boy, catching him as Robin launched an attack of his own.

Cracking his staff against Adonis's great hide had little effect, so the leader quickly changed tactics. Three flat disks appeared between his fingers, and, after dodging a slash of Adonis's claws, Robin let them fly. The round projectiles connected with the beast's chest, but once the smoke cleared it became obvious that Robin had proceeded only to make Adonis angrier. The animal knocked Robin back into Cyborg with a swipe of his hairy arm, and then whipped his head around to search for what else was in killing range.

Starfire and Beast Boy swooped in, Raven right behind them. Adonis snorted and abruptly jumped against the alley's wall. Ricocheting off of the brick side like a bullet, he crashed into Starfire and pulled her to the ground, shoving her head into the dirt. Beast Boy transformed into a hawk, tearing at Adonis's face with bright talons, who then moved away from Starfire to grab onto Beast Boy's leg and throw him against the wall. Back in human form, Beast Boy fell to the ground, wincing at the sharp pain in his knee. A new target in sight, Adonis had started advancing on the shape-shifter when Raven melted up through the ground in between them.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" At her words, two black projections extended from her hands and collided into Adonis's chest, shoving him back several feet. Adonis dropped down, growling as he examined her, and Raven floated above him, her arms glowing with magic. However, the sorceress had underestimated his agility, and she'd scarcely blinked when he was suddenly in front of her, dragging her from the air to the floor. Raven grimaced as her head cracked against the hard ground, and the world around her turned black for a fleeting moment as Adonis proceeded to bash her into the wall. Dragging her limp body closer to him, the creature's teeth flashed.

"No! Let her go!" Beast Boy's thin voice shouted from where he stooped, filled with panic. Out of the corner of her eye, Raven saw him struggling to his feet with excruciating movements, using the wall for support. Adonis didn't respond, and Raven was pulled nearer to his threatening teeth. She fought the urge to flinch away. "Let-," Beast Boy spoke again, this time with a low growl that made Adonis pause, "-let her _go!"_

Robin looked up from where he was entangled with Cyborg at the change in Beast Boy's voice. "Beast Boy, no!" he cried. "Don't!"

It was too late, for Beast Boy couldn't hear his leader anymore. He hunched over, the rumble in his throat escalating to a roar. The shape-shifter's purple Doom Patrol uniform tore apart from the back, and his teeth extended into fangs, his fingers developing claws. Green fur sprouted all over his skin, and his body expanded in size.

Starfire blinked, placing a hand to her head. "I-is that The Beast?" she whispered, disoriented from Adonis's earlier attack on her.

Beast Boy, or The Beast, snarled at Adonis, who dropped Raven as he recognized an old enemy that he had scores to settle with. Growling, Adonis sprung headfirst. He collided with The Beast, and they flew out into the street, rolling around on the pavement with howls of rage. Robin, Cyborg, and Starfire ran to the entrance of the alleyway, watching as the two fought viciously.

"This is bad," Cyborg said.

Starfire observed at him. "But is it not good if friend Beast Boy is victorious over Adonis?"

"Yes, but what happens after that?" Robin asked beside her, grim. "What's going to stop Beast Boy's Beast from attacking the rest of us? Or civilians?"

"Nothing." The Titans turned around to find Raven limping out of the alley, leaned against the brick side for assistance. Starfire flew over, concerning for her friend, but Raven waved her off. "Nothing will stop Beast Boy or Adonis if they get out of hand. We have to make sure they don't go berserk." She tried to walk forward, but her knees buckled and she sank to the ground. Starfire grabbed her. "Don't worry, Starfire," Raven assured weakly. "I'm fine. Go after Beast Boy; he's more important to deal with right now." She looked at Robin with meaning, and, after a conflicted pause, he dipped his chin.

"I hate to leave you like this," he stressed, "but Raven's right, Star. Beast Boy could kill someone once he's done with Adonis. We can't let that happen." Starfire's eyes grew wide.

"Go," Raven insisted. "I'll catch up with you." She glanced down the street where Beast Boy and Adonis had disappeared, their fighting leading them further into the city. Their snarls could be heard from where the Titans stood. "And hurry."

Robin nodded to her again, and then ran off in the direction they'd last seen the two beasts exchanging blows. After a moment of hesitation, Cyborg and Starfire followed their leader, leaving Raven to somehow find them later on her own. She touched the bloody gash glistening on the side of her head, inflicted from when Adonis had smashed her into the wall. Raven knew she needed healing, but, upon hearing a familiar howl a few blocks away, she knew there were more pressing tasks to be dealt with first.

Robin, Cyborg, and Starfire found Beast Boy and Adonis wrestling each other in the middle of the street several blocks away beside a small abandoned convenience store. The building was missing a large chunk of the front wall, and a heavy indention was in the center of the road, looking very similar to either Adonis's or Beast Boy's face. With both in beast form, it was hard to tell who was who, save for a slight shade of green that tinted one's coat. In the current lighting though, it was almost impossible to distinguish such a small difference. The Titans caught up to the two beasts just as one was pounding the other hard against the cement. In response, the creature on the ground rolled to his feet and tackled his adversary into an empty building. People nearby screamed and ran out of the monsters' fighting range, and soon the Titans were the only ones left on the road besides Beast Boy and Adonis. Starfire started to move, but Robin placed a hand on her shoulder.

"If we interfered now, we'd be torn to shreds," he told her. "Let's have them wear each other out first." Starfire appeared doubtful but obeyed, descending back onto the sidewalk. Robin considered themselves lucky that most of the fight was contained inside one store instead of all over Jump, and, though the structure before them was in terrible shape, it was better than the entire city.

The team had to wait but a few minutes for a winner to emerge from within the shop. Still in the form of a beast, Beast Boy dragged Adonis's limp body out of the building, and then howled to the sky. He spotted the Titans, and Adonis was dropped to the ground, forcing a small moan out of the unconscious human.

"Get ready, y'all," Cyborg murmured, preparing his hand cannon. "Come on, Beast Boy!" he called, louder. "Snap out of it, man! You won! It's time to stop!" The Beast's dark eyes glittered, and his response was a heavy growl. He was too far under. Leaping at them with impressive agility, he brushed the teenagers aside with a massive forearm, and the Titans were knocked to the ground, all save for Starfire who'd managed to dodge by taking flight. She conjured a glowing starbolt in her hand, but, reluctant, looked at Beast Boy with pained eyes. To her, he was still her friend, and she did not want to harm her teammate even if he was in the form of a monstrous beast.

The Beast, however, held no such concerns, and seeing her hesitation, snatched her by the leg and flung her fiercely over the buildings. She didn't crash into any structures due to pure luck, but did suffer a rough landing.

The Beast had faced the street with the clear intentions to sprint away when Raven materialized up through the pavement in front of him. She was perspiring, bleeding, and barely able to stand straight thanks to the throbbing pain throughout her body, but she still faced Beast Boy's Beast form devoid of any trace of fear in her expression.

He snarled at her with brilliant fangs. Raven didn't flinch. "Stop fighting," she commanded, squinting through her swimming vision at him. "You won. You can stop."

His enormous body tensed, and the dark eyes narrowed. Not moving closer, Raven held her hand out to him, and he sniffed the air. His expression shifted a little. "Do you remember me from before?" she asked, half wondering herself. "You saved me then, from Adonis, which is why I'm safe now." She took a patient step forward, and The Beast growled in warning. Raven waited as he took his time drawing near, snuffling in her scent. Slowly, he lowered his haunches and, lumbering closer, dropped to all fours. Raven watched, aware that he could kill her without a second thought if provoked. The Beast was close to her now, within the space someone might offer another person a handshake. He cautiously touched his cold nose to her palm.

"Do you remember me?" Raven repeated softly.

A sudden wave of lightheadedness claimed the girl, and before she could prevent it, her legs crumpled beneath her. She managed to catch herself before hitting the ground, landing on one knee instead. The Beast's fur bristled, and the air held its breath for a moment before he lowered himself to sniff the side of her head that glistened with blood. A strange sound came from his throat, like the deep whining of a puppy, and Raven lifted her chin. Her eyes fell to a gash on his shoulder, damaged during his fight with Adonis. Breathing heavily, she moved her palm to his injury with care, and this time The Beast gave no indication that she should to stop. A blue glow enveloped her hand, drawing away the pain from The Beast's injury.

"You know who I am," she murmured as The Beast's eyes closed at the soft healing sensation. The wound began to seal itself little by little. "Change back. Change into Beast Boy."

As if in a response to her words, The Beast began to shrink, his claws and fangs retracting and fur reducing to normal size until it was a human Beast Boy in tatters who stood in front of Raven. He swayed and collapsed with a groan, and Raven caught him before he landed. After lowering him to the ground, she finally allowed her dizziness to overcome her, and she too passed out, the last thing Raven saw being her friends running toward her and Beast Boy's unconscious forms.

* * *

"He's dangerous."

"The shot that I administered works though, man! With the exception of like one percent of the time, he can control himself!"

"One percent. That's only most of the time. That's the issue. What about the rest of the time? What about in other situations?"

"But did we not see how friend Raven was able to return him to his human form? Perhaps if we tried to-?"

"No. It would be too risky, and we don't know if she would be able to do it again. We need to take action. We can't ignore this anymore."

Raven blinked her eyes open to the voices of her teammates. She was in the Titans' medical center, floating above a bed with cool white sheets and a smooth pillow. Outside of the room, Robin, Cyborg, and Starfire's words reached her ears, their discussion spoken in serious tones. Raven tried focusing on their conversation, but a slight yet insistent headache proved doing so to be too difficult for her. Sighing, she allowed gravity to kick in and floated down so that she was resting with her back on the bed. A window on her left revealed that the sun was just about to rise above the horizon.

"Hey, Rae."

Raven turned her head to the side. Lying on another bed in a position similar to hers, Beast Boy watched her with heavy green eyes. He smirked at her with his familiar crooked grin, revealing the canine tooth protruding from behind his lower lip. "You're up after the sun is. I'm surprised."

She scanned over him with her eyes. Bandages were swathed over his upper arm, knee, and forehead. Small scratches graced his face, but otherwise he seemed alright. "And you're awake before noon," she replied in her trademark sarcastic tone. "The feeling is mutual."

Beast Boy gave a small laugh. "Yeah, I've been up for a while." He gestured to the door. "They've been talking almost the whole time we've been in here." Raven stayed silent, waiting for him to speak his thoughts. Having known Beast Boy for several years, she knew that he would do so in due time, and all she had to do was be patient. He breathed out, staring at the ceiling. "I'm sorry," he apologized with sudden melancholy. "If I hadn't lost control last night, then I wouldn't have attacked any of the team, and we could have taken Adonis down together. I could have- I should have prevented The Beast from coming out." Raven listened in silence. Her headache had escalated momentarily, and she placed a cool hand to her forehead where she discovered soft strips of cloth wrapped around her hair. Glancing down, she saw that bindings also covered her right leg and shoulders. Beast Boy looked at her, and then shifted his gaze back to the wall. "I'm sorry," he repeated softly.

"What for?" Raven asked, lowering her arm. The Beast always brought out Beast Boy's serious side, and -unlike during normal circumstances when he apologized out of fear of punishment after a prank or something similar- now he thought through what he was going to say, and really meant it. His words weren't just the result of nervous ramblings at moments like this.

"It's just-," he breathed, swallowing. "I saw that he was going to kill you and that he'd hurt you so much, and I couldn't let that happen anymore. I didn't want anyone to get hurt… but I should have kept my anger inside. The Beast wouldn't have come out." He peered again at the door where Robin could be heard speaking in hushed, muffled tones, and the shape-shifter's long ears twitched. "They've been talking about what to do. They say that The Beast is too dangerous to have around, which means so am I. They haven't decided how to deal with it yet, but Robin seems to have an idea."

Raven shifted her position. "You can't blame this on yourself, Beast Boy. You saved me again, and no one was killed."

"Yeah, but…" Beast Boy turned his head to her. "What happened last night? After I fought Adonis, how did I turn back? I can't remember anything, and the others didn't tell me."

Raven glimpsed toward the door, fiddling with the bandages that she could reach on her arm. It made sense that he couldn't remember; that's what had happened the first time he'd transformed. What surprised her was that none of the team had explained what transpired afterwards. "When you had defeated Adonis, you knocked the others out of the way and were going to run off. I wasn't with the team at the moment." Beast Boy looked at her, but she ignored his expression, continuing. "I teleported to you and calmed you down. I imagine that The Beast recognized me because he didn't attack, and eventually you relaxed enough to revert." She shrugged, stopping at the dull pain that the movement brought. "That's it."

Beast Boy thought over the information for a moment, and Raven couldn't help but glare at the exit once more. The emotions that had formed behind the wall were building an uneasy churning in her stomach. Conflict radiated from her teammates like heat off of a sun. Their words were less and quieter now. "So," Beast Boy started, drawing her attention back to him, "how did you calm me down? What did you say?"

Raven shook her head. "Nothing. I told you to stop fighting and to turn back."

Beast Boy nodded, biting his lip. The soft hiss opened hallway door a margin, and the two Titans in the room glanced at it. Beast Boy grinned nervously. "Well, I guess we get to see what happens now. But Rae," he said, and she looked at him. He smiled. "Thanks."

The door slid opened, and Robin stuck his head in. Behind the mask, his eyes fell on Raven. "Good, you're awake. We need to talk. Can you stand?" Raven sat up, lowering her feet to the ground. Robin nodded, and he held the door open for her as she walked out into the hallway. Cyborg and Starfire were there as well, both with a bandage or two wrapped around minor wounds. They were waiting with quiet and unreadable expressions as the door glided shut behind Robin. Starfire approached Raven.

"Are you feeling the better, friend Raven?" she asked, concerned.

Raven dipped her head, facing Robin. "What's this about?" she asked, getting straight to the point. She was not one to put things off for long.

The Titans' leader didn't try to dodge the question. "Beast Boy. He's getting too dangerous." Raven crossed her arms, waiting. "So we've decided that The Beast has to be dealt with somehow." He fixed his gaze on Raven pointedly.

She stared at him, trying to keep an impassive look about her. "What are you saying?"

Robin sighed. "Beast Boy is too risky to keep around without some form of restraint in case The Beast appears again, so we've decided-."

Raven interrupted, her shoulders ridged. She'd heard enough information to know where he was heading with this. "We aren't kicking him out. He's done nothing wrong."

Not backing down, Robin shook his head. "No, we aren't kicking him out; that would be too hazardous. We have to keep him here where he can't hurt anyone. We're going to keep him in the tower, in a place we can watch over him until a better solution presents itself."

Unable to believe what she was hearing, Raven's eyes flashed white for a moment, and she lowered her voice, speaking in a dangerous tone. "In a cage, right? Like a disobedient animal? He saved my life, and you're punishing him for protecting me?"

Robin stood his ground. "No. I'm taking precautions so he doesn't hurt anyone. This is not up for debate. Cyborg and Starfire agree with me." Beside him, the two Titans studied the floor. It was obvious that neither concurred with Robin's proposition, but they could not think of a better option.

"No, this is not up for debate," Raven said, suddenly stoic. "He stays without a cage. You aren't locking Beast Boy up for no reason."

"Raven, this is not your decision alone to make," Robin snapped. "You are not the leader of this team."

"Then do a better job leading," Raven growled. More often than not, she and Robin saw eye to eye, but she couldn't understand why he was being so stubborn and obstinate about this. And to make such an important decision rash because they couldn't think of anything else at the moment?

"He is dangerous," Robin pronounced each word deliberately, his voice rising with anger.

"So am I, and you've never locked me up."

"Because you can control yourself!" Robin took a deep breath, running a hand through his dark hair. "Listen to me; this is the best possible solution that we've come up with, and I hope just as much as you that it will be temporary. Whenever Beast Boy sees you, just you, in danger, that is when The Beast comes out. It's for your protection as well as ours. What I say goes." Robin crossed his arms, making his decision final.

"Goes?" Raven stepped back, fists clenched for a brief moment. "Fine." She brushed past him. "Then I'm going."

Robin stared at her in shock, unable to grasp what she'd just said, and Starfire flew up to Raven, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Wait, friend Raven, where are you going? To meditation?"

Raven looked at her with a determined expression, the smallest trace of sadness in her eyes. "No, I'm leaving, Starfire. If Beast Boy doesn't see me in danger, then he can't become angry, and The Beast won't come out. He can stay with the team this way."

Cyborg cut in, protesting. "But Raven, you are the only one who can calm him down! Stay and we'll figure this out! BB'll only have to stay locked up until we decide on somethin' better!" He spat the last sentence out so fast that Raven wondered how bitter his words had tasted.

"Robin seems to have made up his mind." Raven glared at her leader. "And I'm the only one who has been able to draw The Beast out, Cyborg. He doesn't ever live in a cage my way."

"But friend Raven-," Starfire began.

Raven cut her off. "He needs this team more than I do. You are his family here; I've survived on my own before and I'll do it again." She stalked down the hall.

Starfire called after her. "But you are so damaged. Can you please wait until-?"

"No."

Robin felt powerless to do anything but watch as Raven disappeared down the hallway, Starfire calling out to her without a response. Cyborg glanced at him, but Robin put his hand up. "Don't say anything, Cyborg. This… is her decision, and also a solution to our problem with Beast Boy." Robin turned to the side, hiding the sickened feeling in his stomach. Had he really driven Raven away from the team so easily?

Cyborg shook his head, rubbing the top of his skull. "I never expected her to defend him like that, man. I mean, she and Beast Boy have had their good times in the past, but this…"

Starfire flew back to Robin, clutching her hands to her chest, still peering over her shoulder where she'd last seen Raven. "Friends, I am wishing for the news that Raven was merely doing the joking please!" At Robin and Cyborg's somber demeanors, tears built up and threatened to spill over from the alien princess's eyes.

Robin tried to comfort her, placing a hand on her arm. "It's alright, Star; this is like when Cyborg left once. She'll come back after a while when she's had time to cool down and think."

"I don't think so, man," Cyborg murmured. "When I left, it was because I was mad. She's leaving because of an entirely different reason."

The door to the infirmary cracked open, and Beast Boy slipped out. "Hey dudes, is everything okay out here? I heard yelling." He was greeted with sullen expressions from Cyborg and Starfire, whereas Robin couldn't even bring himself to look at Beast Boy straight. The shape-shifter's ears drooped a little. "W-what's going on, guys? What happened?" He scanned past the teenagers in front of him. "Where's Raven?"

Robin faced away from the shape-shifter, so Cyborg answered for him. "She's gone, man," he mumbled.

Beast Boy froze, shrinking under the taller man in shock. "W-what do you mean gone?"

Starfire bit her lip, holding back her tears. "Friend Raven has decided to take 'the leave' of our team."

An alarm went off in Beast Boy's head somewhere. He drew back. "What? Why would she do that?" He swung his pleading expression over the team, landing on Robin. "Dude, Robin?" He grabbed his leader's shoulder, rotating Robin to face him.

Robin cleared his throat, not meeting Beast Boy's eyes. "Because we thought The Beast was too dangerous, we were going to place you inside a… containment… of sorts, so you couldn't harm anyone when you got angry." He felt guilty even saying it now. But what else was there that they could do?

Raven had solved that problem.

Beast Boy blinked, dropping his hand. "Like… all the time?"

Robin nodded, again clearing his throat. "Yes, but Raven disagreed. She said that if she left, then you wouldn't turn into The Beast anymore, and you could live in the tower with us like you normally do."

"And she left?!" Beast Boy cried, stepping away from him. A whine rose in his voice. "What the heck, dude?! Why didn't you stop her?! What kind of a leader are you?!" He spun around, morphing into an eagle, and soared down the hall in the direction of Raven's room. He flew past a corner, and Cyborg faced Robin.

"You messed up big time, man," he rumbled, shaking his head, and then walked through the corridor on the same path Beast Boy had flown over. With Starfire placing her hands on his shoulders, Robin pressed his palm against his eyes, squeezing them shut. What had he done?

* * *

"Raven? Raven! Raven, come on, please open up!" Beast Boy pounded on the door to her room. "Raven, it's me! You can't leave! Please, you gotta let me in!"

When he wasn't granted access, he took matters into his own hands. Growing into a gorilla, Beast Boy pried the door open, flinging it to the side with an animalistic grunt before he caught sight of what was inside. He shrank back into his human body, staring.

The place was empty, bare like a band of thieves had stolen every possession and then some. Raven's bookshelves, creepy decorations, and even the clothes in her closet were gone. The sole object in the room was her mattress, the sheets and pillows neatly arranged and awaiting Raven's arrival for when she returned for sleep. Little did the bed know, but she wasn't coming back anytime soon. Beast Boy walked inside slowly, desolation –the one other thing in the room besides the bed– pressing down on him. He glanced at the window. Even the violet curtains were absent.

Beast Boy approached the bed hesitantly, unwilling to confirm what he saw as real. Lying in the center of the sheets was a small, circular object lined with yellow and black hues: her communicator. It was the last hope Beast Boy'd had for contacting Raven. He touched the blanket with his index finger, and then clenched it in his whole fist. Dropping to his knees, he crossed his arms over the mattress and buried his head in them. He was exhausted, in pain, and had just lost one of his closest friends because she was protecting him. He didn't move for several minutes, inhaling sharp breaths every so often, and might not have risen for a long time had Cyborg not entered. The robotic man absorbed the sight before him for a moment, and then walked over quietly, placing a large hand on Beast Boy's shoulder.

Beast Boy swallowed the lump in his throat, not moving. "It's my fault, all my fault," he whispered. "She's gone because of me."

"You know that's not true, man," Cyborg murmured, squeezing his shoulder slightly. "Raven chose to leave. You couldn't have made her stay."

"But now we have no idea where she is." Beast Boy pressed his head deeper into his arms. "It's my fault. …She's not coming back, is she?" Cyborg didn't respond, but they both knew the answer. "She left so my life could be normal," the green boy whispered, "but it's not when she's not with us. We're supposed to be a family, all of us! This is all my fault!" Beast Boy choked again.

"It's not; stop sayin' that," Cyborg commanded firmly. He pulled Beast Boy back to stare him in the eye. "Raven's a tough girl and can take care of herself better than any of us. We don't know how far she's gone, but even if we have no idea where she is, _she_ knows how to find _us_. Now come on," he continued, more gently, "let's take those bandages off of you. You'll need new ones soon. After that, we can play some video games: one-on-one! I know you've been dyin' for a rematch ever since our last game." Nodding, Beast Boy rubbed his eyes, trying to convince himself that playing mind-numbing video games would remedy all his problems. Maybe that, and a lot of tofu would help him feel a little better. He got to his feet. Cyborg exited ahead of him, but Beast Boy paused in the doorway.

"I wish you would have at least said goodbye, Raven," he breathed, wiping his cheeks again, and then walked out into the hallway.


	2. Too Tempting to Resist

**I AM SO SORRY.**

 **The extremely long delay was unintentional, and I have no real excuse. I'm so sorry, you guys. Here, please take the chapter! Take it!**

* * *

One Year Later

"I bet you twenty bucks that you couldn't eat Starfire's entire dish without puking."

Cyborg quirked his eyebrow at the green shape-shifter crouched beside him on the sofa, and pressed the pad of his metal thumb to his index finger. "Twenty bucks? Make that fifty, BB. If I'm gonna eat her alien food, it's gotta be for a _really_ good reason," he declared, pointing at the purple glop that was in a bowl between the two Titans. Cyborg smirked, holding the dish out to Beast Boy. "Unless you would like to do it instead?"

Beast Boy considered it. "Well, fifty bucks could get me a lot of new video games and comics." He frowned. "But I don't think it would be enough to pay for another visit to the hospital. Up your offer to one hundred dollars and I'll do it." Cyborg grimaced at the amount Beast Boy was suggesting, but pulled his wallet out anyway, counting the bills that were snug in their case. No matter how high the price was, the robotic man couldn't wait to see the look on Beast Boy's face when he poured into his mouth whatever it was that was bubbling in Starfire's bowl.

"Well…," Cyborg deliberated, pulling out a hundred dollar bill and waving it about. "Maybe…" Beast Boy smirked, stopping Cyborg. "Hang on. Do you even have one hundred dollars?" he accused.

"Uh," Beast Boy said, rubbing the back of his head, and Cyborg crossed his arms. "Well… I will when I win the bet!"

Cyborg stuffed his money back into his wallet. "Nice try, BB, but not gonna happen."

"Aw," Beast Boy huffed, shoving the bowl away from him. The two sat in silence for a moment until Beast Boy glanced over at his friend, green eyes glinting. "I dare you to do it."

Before Cyborg could respond, the main doors opened and Starfire glided in, Robin following behind her. "Glorious greetings, friends!" she hailed the Titans. "How are you enjoying your morning?" Beast Boy shunted the bowl underneath the couch and sat straight up beside Cyborg, both grinning innocently.

"Uh, yeah, Star," Beast Boy replied, hands held behind his back like a child who had eaten a whole box of chocolates without permission. "This is a great morning."

"That we are having," Cyborg added.

"Together," Beast Boy nodded.

"Right now," Cyborg smiled.

"Not doing anything suspicious at all," the shape-shifter finished. Cyborg elbowed him in the gut. Robin smirked at the two, well aware of their activities, and had walked over to the refrigerator to fetch some breakfast when Starfire suddenly let out a cry of alarm. The team was on alert at once.

"What's the matter?" Robin asked, grasping her arm.

Starfire pushed past him, digging through the fridge at a frantic pace. "Oh, I cannot seem to find the dish that I have prepared for our meal tonight! I worked so very diligently on it!" she cried, throwing a jug of milk over her shoulder. Cyborg dove forward, managing to catch it before the liquid spilled all over the floor. Beast Boy tried to keep up with the barrage of food being tossed in his direction, but once a container filled with eggs cracked against his head, he gave up and just stood still as food piled all around him. "Perhaps it is in the cupboards?!" Starfire moved into the cabinets, flinging those contents out as well. She'd cleared out three when Robin finally got a hold on her.

"Starfire, calm down!" he exclaimed, grabbing her shoulders. "It's okay," the leader assured. "We'll just order pizza or something else instead."

Starfire fixed her big sad eyes on him. "But I had worked many of the hours on a meal that I was certain you and friends Cyborg and Beast Boy would enjoy." Her head drooped, and Robin glared at the guilty party standing behind her. Cyborg and Beast Boy exchanged glances, and then looked back with pleading expressions. Neither of them wanted to reveal the location of the alien food, for Starfire surely would make them eat it later. Robin pointed at them, scowling. Cyborg gave in, despite Beast Boy's silent begging, and pulled the bowl out from under the couch.

"Hey, would ya look at that! Here it is!" he laughed nervously, holding the dish out to the alien girl. "I guess you musta thrown it while you were diggin' through… uh, all of our stuff…," he mumbled. Starfire clapped her hands together in excitement and swooped over to him, snatching up the bowl. She cradled it to her chest.

"Oh, many thanks, friend Cyborg! You have found tonight's meal!" She blinked at him, her expression bright. "Perhaps you would like to try a sample?" With hopeful eyes, she held the bubbling dish out to Cyborg. If the robotic man had had a collar, he would have been pulling at it.

"U-uh-I-," he stammered, but his excuse was interrupted by the buzz of Robin's communicator. Starfire flew to her leader's side as he answered, and Cyborg wiped his brow.

"Saved by the bell, dude," Beast Boy grinned, crawling out from the food mountain that surrounded him. "Ow." He winced as an object tumbled down from somewhere in the mess and hit him on the nose. Shaking his head, Beast Boy's gaze fell to the guilty item now resting on the ground in front of him, and a familiar pain touched his chest. He rose to his feet slowly. No one in the tower drank tea anymore, not since… her departure. He'd tried putting the memory of her in the back of his head, tried to remind himself that it had been her decision and that she'd come back if she wanted to, just like Robin kept telling him, but it was… difficult. He stood up, nudging the box of tea bags away with his foot. He found himself thinking about her more than he meant to, and whenever he succeeded in forgetting, Beast Boy would see something to remind him of her again. He still blamed himself for her absence, and he was well aware that today marked a full year since the disappearance of the missed Titan.

As Beast Boy tried to recover before anyone noticed his unusual silence, Robin snapped his communicator shut. "We've got trouble. Plasmus is attacking downtown." He and the three other Titans turned to the door. "Let's go!"

* * *

"Dude, is it just me or did Plasmus get uglier since the last time we fought him?" Beast Boy asked, crouched in a battle position beside his teammates. Plasmus had smashed his slime hand through a main road in the center of downtown to find a drainage pipe underneath, and was now indulging himself in the sewage pouring out of the tube. Beast Boy wrinkled his nose. "Dude, gross."

"I agree, friend Beast Boy!" Starfire nodded from where she flew above him, conjuring two starbolts into her hands. "It is quite disturbing. I propose that we do the taking down!"

Robin smirked, twirling the staff in his hand. "Funny; that's exactly what I was thinking."

"Then come on, y'all!" Cyborg angled his hand cannon and let a shot fly. The blue beam exploded against the monster's gooey chest, forcing Plasmus to drop the sewage pipe with a roar.

"Titans, go!" Robin cried, leaping forward. He stabbed his pole into Plasmus's center, but it did nothing except serve to make the monster angrier. Plasmus inhaled deeply, and then, jerking his shoulders back, his stomach exploded outwards, catching Robin in the blast. He flew backwards through the air, his painful landing prevented by Starfire's quick reaction time. She caught him under the arms, swooping up as she grabbed him. Cyborg's shoulder pads unhooked, revealing miniature missiles hidden beneath that shot forward immediately, contacting with Plasmus's head. The monster was deterred for only a moment, responding with a blast of goo that pinned Cyborg to the street. Before Plasmus could launch another attack, Beast Boy jumped in between the two, baring sharp lion fangs and a wild green mane. Roaring, he sprang onto Plasmus, swinging with his sharp claws, but Plasmus caught him in an elongated arm. Jerking to one side, the creature smashed the Titan into a building, and then, spinning around, released. Once more in his human form, Beast Boy ricocheted off of the side of a store and sailed into an alleyway. He crashed into a dumpster and blacked out.

Beast Boy blinked his eyes open minutes later as a warm, floating sensation drifted away with his unconsciousness. Wincing, he removed an old newspaper that had fallen onto his face. His vision was slightly blurry, but from where he lay he could see his teammates still battling Plasmus in the street. The green Titan attempted to rise, but a sharp pain in his leg prevented the action, and he fell back with a groan.

"Well, that can't be good," he sighed, leaning his head against the back of the dumpster. He ran his hands through his hair, trying to think. It was difficult to concentrate with the harsh throbbing that swelled around his lower ankle. Squeezing his eyes shut, Beast Boy muttered to himself, "Come on, Beast Boy, _think._ What do I do with a possible broken leg?" He bit his lip as the fist of pain clutched his injury. "Ow, ow, ow, ow."

He shuddered, eyes closed, and grasped the sides of the dumpster, hoping the pain would fade. A warm tingling washed over his lower leg, and, to his surprise, the discomfort diminished. Releasing the rims of the garbage bin, Beast Boy looked down in confusion. Carefully shifting, he tested his leg's movement again, and was shocked when not a twinge of pain followed. He swung his legs over the side of the dumpster and jumped down to the ground without a problem. Feeling like a trick was somehow being played on him, Beast Boy glanced around the alleyway, seeing no one, and frowned. His ears twitched, detecting the sound of faint footsteps from the back of the building. He hesitated, looking over his shoulder at the battle that was playing out in the road, and then turned and ran out of the alleyway to help the Titans fight Plasmus. He could always come back later to find out who occupied the back street.

His teammates were just finishing up. Starfire and Cyborg had distracted Plasmus long enough for while Robin put him on ice with several round disks. Beast Boy approached them as the authorities arrived, and Cyborg caught sight of him. "Yo, man where'd you go?" he asked. "I was gettin' worried!"

Beast Boy rubbed the back of his head. "Plasmus sent me flying on a little joy ride into a dumpster, but I turned out okay." He hesitated, looking off to the side. "Although…," he murmured, recalling the strange instances with his leg.

"Are you okay, Beast Boy?" Robin interrupted, noticing Beast Boy's pause.

Beast Boy lifted his head. "What? Oh, yeah, I'm fine! Not a scratch on me." It was true. Despite his harsh landing in the trash bin, not to mention his rough contact with the side of the building, Beast Boy lacked even a single scratch.

Robin nodded. "Well, it seems you fared better than the rest of us then. Now I don't know about you guys, but I'm exhausted. Ready to head back to the tower?" Receiving nods, the leader trekked down in the direction where the T-car was parked. Beast Boy cast a fleeting look at the alleyway behind them, and then followed his teammates back to the vehicle that would take them home.

Driving back, Beast Boy was once again reminded of a certain Titan's absence by the lack of squished space in the backseat of the T-car. With a sigh, he propped his elbow on the base of the window. Cyborg glanced up at the shape-shifter with the use of the car's mirror. "You sure you're alright, BB?" he asked, navigating the road.

"Huh?" Beast Boy turned his head. "O-oh, yeah. I was just thinking about other fights we've had with Plasmus." The Titans nodded, recalling their past encounters they had involving the gooey slime monster.

"Yeah, he's always been a tough baddie to go up against," Cyborg replied, tapping his chin with one finger. "I remember one of the worst times was when that guy swallowed me! Star had to fly through him to get me out!"

Starfire shuddered, clutching her arms. "I have chosen to suppress the memory."

Beast Boy smirked. "He sneezed on me that fight. It was so _gross_."

"How did we defeat him that time again?" Robin pondered, searching his memory. "Oh… right." The car fell silent. That particular battle had been ended with Raven sending her soul-self into Plasmus and rendering him unconscious. Plasmus had gotten a lot more difficult to fight without Raven's help. In fact, all the villains had become more challenging without contribution from the girl's magic. Furthermore, now whenever someone on the team was wounded, Raven wasn't there to heal the injury. Beast Boy tried to convince Robin that they search for her, but he refused, saying that Raven would come back if she wanted to. The leader actually felt quite guilty for Raven's departure, but he was certain there was nothing he could do now. Ever since Raven had left, The Beast hadn't made an appearance, so in a way the empath's plan had worked. Robin just wished it hadn't come at such a high price.

"Well, we're back," Cyborg announced to the now-somber car, pulling into the garage. The team exited, and each went their own ways, trying to suppress their thoughts until supper which was a long ways away, where they would then try to suppress their distaste for Starfire's alien food.

After dinner Beast Boy headed to his bedroom, pacing about the space in there, or lack therefore of. Beast Boy hadn't tried cleaning his room for the past five years or so, and he saw no reason to do so now. He glanced at his bed. He knew he should try to get some sleep, but something kept him awake, and for once it wasn't aftereffects from Starfire's dish. Her meal hadn't been as bad as everyone expected, and Beast Boy actually managed to keep it all down for once. However, much to his disappointment, Cyborg refused to give the shape-shifter any money for his accomplishment. Beast Boy's thoughts didn't linger on dinner for long though. His mind kept falling back to the strange events that had followed his waking up in the dumpster. One minute he had a broken leg, and then the next he was up and running out of the alleyway. Things like that didn't just happen. He recalled the soft sensation that had warmed his head and leg when he'd woken up. Beast Boy swallowed. An idea was forming but didn't want to pin his hopes on it. Biting his lip, he resolved the struggling conflict in his head and exited his room.

A quick flight later, Beast Boy landed in the alley that he'd unintentionally visited earlier. It was now dark outside, and the lone light he had was provided by the moon. Long dark shadows from junk piled along the sides of the passage stretched over the ground, like demons reaching out for an innocent victim to torment. A victim named Beast Boy. Beast Boy smacked his forehead; he always was letting his imagination get the better of him.

"Hello?" he whispered. There was a clatter around the corner ahead of him. He turned it, and was met with the unexpected sight of an assembly of masked men clustering around a flat block of wood, green bills clutched in their hands. Burlap bags were set on the slab next to large piles of cash. The men caught sight of Beast Boy and froze.

Beast Boy grinned nervously, taking a step back. "Um, I think I took a wrong turn here," he laughed, holding his hands up. He jerked his thumb to the side. "I'll be leaving now." The thieves exchanged glances, and then got to their feet, picking up pipes and withdrawing black glossy guns from their belts and pockets. The Titan crouched down into a fighting stance, the hair on his neck standing on end.

The men were standing just a few feet from him when a large figure emerged from the shadows of a nearby trash bin. It grew in size, towering above the humans below, and everyone froze stock-still, immobilized with surprise and fear. The figure was tall and wearing a dark hood, its cape billowed out to create the convincing illusion that they were ten feet in height. Two crimson slits appeared in the blackness.

"You don't want to do that," a deep growling voice advised, menace dripping from their words. The glowing red eyes flashed.

The thieves scattered in an instant, forgetting that they were trying to hide from any officers who might be around, and instead just trying to escape with their lives from this demon that vaporized into existence not five feet from them. One cried out something along the lines of, "It's the she-devil!" as they sprinted away. They cleared out of the alleyway in less than a minute, leaving behind their bags of money as well as their wits.

Now all alone with the dark shadow, Beast Boy swallowed as it turned to face him. A sound of air rushing, like someone was exhaling, came from the figure, and the crimson slits vanished. The shadowed form shrank down to the size of a normal human being wearing a purple cloak. Two violet eyes opened, shining at the shape-shifter from within the depths of the robe.

"Raven?" Beast Boy whispered.

"You get into trouble more than anyone I know," the figure sighed, lowering their hood. Brushing back her purple hair with a familiar pale hand, Raven frowned at him and then crossed her arms. "How come I always have to save you, Beast Boy?"

"Raven!" Beast Boy rushed forward, wrapping his arms around the girl tightly. Raven stiffened, still not one who enjoyed hugs, but then relaxed a moment later and returned the embrace. Beast Boy pressed his head to her shoulder. "I missed you," he mumbled, embarrassed.

"I hate to say it, but the feeling is mutual," Raven sighed, at last stepping away from him. She scanned over his body. "You're alright?" Smiling, Beast Boy nodded. Raven turned around. "Good. I suppose you'll want to catch up with me, so come on. I'll show you where I've been staying." Snatching up the thieves' bags, she glided over a fence close by, and Beast Boy, even now unable to believe he'd located Raven so close to home after a year of her absence, and even more so shocked that she was so easily showing him her place of dwelling, followed quickly, not wanting to lose sight of her moments after finding his friend.

* * *

The voyage was just ten minutes, detoured by a quick stop at the bank where Raven left the thieves' bags on the front step. She took a few more turns after that, leading to an empty part of town filled with abandoned buildings. Beast Boy found himself led to a house that was still in decent shape -save for a few rotting holes in the wall and roof- and into the dwelling's basement. Below the main floor was Raven's home. Beast Boy looked around the space with curiosity, spotting the familiar bookshelves and eerie decorations lining the walls. Raven had positioned a small table in the center of the room, and on the floor beside it was a bag filled with dishes. In one corner, a small cot was pressed against the wall, and closer to the table just in front of the stairs a rounded couch was facing outwards. Beast Boy could see candles and a mat placed underneath the stairs, probably for meditation. Next to a sink at the back, a microwave was plugged in an outlet, as was a small stove beside it.

"The electricity works here?" Beast Boy asked Raven.

Raven nodded, lighting several candles with a flick of her hand and illuminating the basement in an orange glow. "This is the single decent house in the neighborhood with working electricity. It's an older part of Jump City, with ancient buildings. No one wants homes like these anymore, so no one bought them. The weather tore them down after some time, which is why they are all in such terrible shape now. Of course, I surprised a few people by asking for a place to stay here, even when I told them I'd pay." She exhaled. "No one comes around thankfully, so I have my peace and quiet. And there aren't any curious neighbors dropping by to see why an ex-Titan isn't with the team anymore," she added hesitantly. "The landlord doesn't actually know me as 'Raven', so he doesn't ask questions either." She glanced toward the corner of her room, falling silent again. Beast Boy hadn't heard her talk so much in… well, forever.

"Don't you get lonely?" He looked at her. Raven just shrugged, igniting another candle. She sat down on the couch, and Beast Boy joined her. He smirked. "Well, home sweet home, huh?" Raven glowered at him with that famous glare of hers. Beast Boy had never missed it so much.

She leaned back against the sofa, facing Beast Boy. "How is the tower?" she asked.

It was Beast Boy's turn to shrug. "I dunno; kinda the same. It's not like you were loud or anything." Raven nodded, ignoring the small sadness that had sparked in her chest. Beast Boy continued, oblivious. "But we all really miss you, Rae. Robin feels bad about the whole thing, even though he won't admit it. I've got no one to argue with anymore except Cyborg, and our fights are always over the same video games and stuff. You would make it more interesting. Oh, and Starfire's been asking the rest of us to join her in 'the female activities of bonding' since she's the only girl in the tower now." Raven lifted an amused eyebrow.

"I suppose I dodged a bullet when it comes to that then," she smirked, the sadness dispersing. "But everyone's been safe?"

Beast Boy nodded his head. "Yeah. The usual stuff has gone down, you know, with bad guys and all, but that's about it. We... haven't seen any of The Beast either," he added softly. Hearing him, Raven dropped her gaze to the ground.

"That means my plan works," she answered, focusing on her boots, "which is good."

Beast Boy grimaced, looking at her. "But it's not fair, Rae! You shouldn't have had to leave just because of me! You need to come back! I don't know… Maybe living in a cage wouldn't be so bad?" The words rang with the echo of someone who'd thought that same line numerous times.

Raven turned on him, her mouth in a thin, determined line. " _No_. That's not going to happen. You've done nothing to deserve such horrible treatment."

"But," Beast Boy said, keeping her eye contact, "you haven't done anything wrong either." He gestured around. "This isn't your home. It's not where you belong. You belong with us, with the team, Raven! We're part of your family, and you're part of ours!"

Raven closed her eyes for a brief moment. She'd missed him, but she hadn't brought him here so he could convince her to go back. "Everyone has gone a year without me. This arrangement is how it's going to stay." She opened her eyes, and her sights set on his knee, which was crossed on the couch. "How is your leg feeling?"

"What?" Beast Boy looked down. "Uh, it's fine. Why?"

"You did a good job of fracturing the bone when you crashed into the dumpster. I wasn't sure if I had healed it all the way through."

Beast Boy's ears perked up. "That was you?! I knew it!"

"You also banged up your head rather well," Raven stated, hiding a smile. "Where would you be without me, Beast Boy?"

"In a hospital, probably," he grinned, his canine tooth glinting. "Hey, how were you able to heal me so fast without me seeing you? You couldn't do that a year ago."

"Teleportation and magic." A smirk twitched at the corner of her mouth. Raven hid it by pointing to her meditation station under the stairs where her candles glowed. "I've grown in the strength of my abilities, being left alone all the time without any distractions. Along with an increase in my healing skills, I can lift heavier things with my powers now. I can also control my emotions with more ease. But that's why I could heal your leg," Raven explained, touching his knee. Her eyes glowed for a brief moment before returning to normal. "Although it wasn't broken, just fractured."

Beast Boy ran a hand through his hair. "Amazing what you can do when I'm not around to bug you, huh?" Raven looked at him, relaxing when she realized he wasn't offended. She smiled a little, nodding, and then put a finger to her chin.

"I think you've gotten taller than me," she observed abruptly. She and Beast Boy had always been around the same height, Raven pulling ahead of her teammate by just an inch or so, but now it seemed that he'd surpassed her at last.

"Really?" Beast Boy lit up. "Let's see!" He turned around on the couch with his back facing her. Raven rolled her eyes, knowing that wasn't the way they were supposed to measure height, but complied anyway and mirrored him, pressing her back up against his. Beast Boy ran a hand over their heads. "Wow, you're right! Like by an inch and a half!"

"Feel accomplished?" Raven asked, not yet moving away.

Beast Boy smirked. "Kind of!" Raven smiled. For the past year she'd lacked the stupidly charismatic way that he got excited about everything in life, and now it was hard to believe she was sitting here on her couch with him talking about trivial things like who was taller. Raven had missed Beast Boy, as she missed the rest of her friends, but she was willing to make the sacrifice if it meant keeping Beast Boy out of a cage for the rest of his life.

Beast Boy exhaled, and Raven felt the gentle rise and fall of his warm back against hers. "You never did say goodbye, you know," he murmured, and a pang of guilt touched the girl.

"I know," she sighed, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, "but it would have made things harder on everyone."

"But I wanted to say goodbye," Beast Boy said, rubbing his arm. "For me, you left without any warning. I went into your room, and it was so empty. You were just gone. I just wanted… to… to talk to you."

"I'm sorry," Raven apologized, and she meant it. She swallowed. "I couldn't bring myself to do it. You might have convinced me to stay if I had."

"I wanted to."

"It wasn't right what Robin wanted to do. It still isn't if he feels that way now." She leaned her head toward him, touching the back of his hair with hers. He had saved her life, and now she was saving his. "You have to see where I'm coming from, Beast Boy."

Beast Boy was quiet, and then he sighed. "Yeah, I do, but I don't like it."

She smiled a little. "You don't have to like it. You only have to understand it." She turned around, and he did too.

He looked at her with sad green eyes. "I feel like you just vanished though. If you need anything, you know you could stop by the tower. I know no one would be mad about that."

"It would be too awkward and uncomfortable," Raven replied, shaking her head. "And I don't need anything. I have electricity, a bed, and the bathroom upstairs is in one piece, so I get along fine." Beast Boy frowned, searching his mind for a reason to have her to come back to the tower when she stood. "It's getting late." The antiquated clock on the wall marked ten minutes after midnight. Raven looked at Beast Boy. "You should go before you're missed."

Beast Boy got to his feet as well, watching her. "I guess, but…"

"What?"

He sighed. "You're not going to disappear, right? If I come back, you'll be here?"

After a pause, Raven nodded. "I'm not planning on leaving anytime soon. But are you sure it would be a good idea for you to come back?" She shifted, fixing her gaze on a candle close by. "I left so The Beast wouldn't come out of you, and if we spend more time together, there is more of a chance of that happening."

"The Beast's not going to come out just by us talking," Beast Boy promised, walking toward the stairs that would lead him out. "I mean, unless you say something that makes me mad." He grinned. Raven frowned at him, crossing her arms, and Beast Boy laughed lightly. "Come on, I only want to know what you've been up to, and I have a feeling that's kinda why you brought me to your house. Why else would you have shown me where you live?"

Raven shifted her position, glancing around before meeting his eyes. "I imagine the aspect of seeing a friend again was too tempting to resist."

Beast Boy grinned at her. "Rae, is it too much to ask to hang out with this friend?"

Raven exhaled and shook her head. "I suppose not; but you shouldn't tell the others, especially Robin. For everyone's sake."

"Great! I'll come back tomorrow then!" Before Raven could reply, Beast Boy waved, transforming into a pigeon, and flew out of the basement in the direction of the tower, his chest feeling lighter than it had for a year.

* * *

 **Quick notes:** **Time skips; I hate, hate, hate doing them in stories, but in this case it was necessary. You'll find out eventually why. And one thing people were mentioning in comments was that the plot seemed similar to a lot of overused fanfictions. I have realized that, and I've read enough of those fanfictions that I think I'll be able to avoid the cliches that come with them.**

 **Again, I'm so sorry for the delay. The next update will come much sooner next time, I promise.**


	3. Books Galore Store

**I'm super sorry _again_ for taking so long to update. I know I said I would be faster, and somehow that just didn't happen. Thank you for sticking with this story guys. Here's the next chapter.**

* * *

Robin tapped the main computer's keyboard, engrossed in his thoughts. The boy wonder was reviewing the team's latest fight through street security cameras. The battle had gone well, the only unusual occurrence during it being Plasmus's ability to dunk Beast Boy perfectly into a dumpster, but the young detective made sure to analyze the fight all the same. Nothing weird had come up, and Robin did not expect anything too. Still, he preferred the alternative of being paranoid rather than being caught off guard.

Robin had sat in front of the screen for a few hours now; the time was close to eleven in the morning, and Cyborg and Starfire were also in the ops room, absorbed in tasks of their own. Starfire was feeding her beloved worm mutant Silkie, and Cyborg was scarfing down the delicious meat-filled sandwich he'd prepared moments ago that would have churned Beast Boy's stomach had he been awake. Beast Boy, of course, was not in the ops room yet, his usual designated time to rise being sometime after midday. So imagine everyone's surprise when he walked in almost sixty minutes earlier than his typical noon.

"Hey guys!" he greeted, bounding down into the kitchen and snatching what was probably a clean bowl off of the counter.

Cyborg looked at him curiously, swallowing the remainder of his sandwich. "Whoa, awake before noon! I'm impressed, BB. Get a good night's sleep or somethin'?"

Beast Boy glanced at him, shaking cereal into his bowl. "Yeah, kinda. I just woke up in a good mood! …Not for any reason in particular." He plopped down in a seat across from Cyborg, and started eating his breakfast. "Guess it's just one of those days!"

"As long as it's not goin' to affect your ability to kick butt when we destroy Super Ninja Six, I'm all for it!" Cyborg whipped out a disk he'd hidden in one of his arm compartments, and Beast Boy's eyes bulged.

"Dude! Is that what I think it is?!" he cried.

"You even have to ask?" Cyborg grinned, letting Beast Boy delicately take the game from him to examine it. "I got it this morning in the mail after two weeks of waiting! With high def' quality, expert gamin' skills required, and parental advisory recommended, I say we pop this baby into the station and let it rock!" The two jumped up from the table and shoved the game in their system, jumping up and down like excited little children. A ninja swinging his sword in circles showed that the game was loading, and then a bright light suddenly flashed over the T.V., fading only moments later to reveal a digital dojo surrounded by flowers. As the narrator began to speak, Cyborg fell back on the sofa, gripping his controller.

"Are you ready to destroy this game?!" he exclaimed to Beast Boy.

"I am so ready, dude!" Beast Boy shouted, just as antsy as Cyborg to start. Moments later, the two teenagers were pounding on their controls, yelling unnecessary commands at each other. Robin put a hand to his head, and, sighing, closed the computer. It was impossible to concentrate when Cyborg and Beast Boy immersed themselves in video games as loudly as they did, and the young leader had reviewed the tapes enough anyway.

Silkie was now squirming in content on the floor, filled to the brim with food. His owner patted him on the stomach before she dodged the two hyperactive teenagers on the sofa to make her way over to Robin. "Friend Robin, would you perhaps wish to accompany me to the mall of shopping? I am in need of books of cooking," Starfire said, smiling. "I would like to find more of the recipes to bake."

"Sure Star," Robin smiled. "I'm not doing anything."

"Glorious!" Starfire exclaimed. "I shall fetch my bag!" She flew toward the door before pausing a moment. "Perhaps friends Beast Boy and Cyborg would like to join us?"

Shooting a quick glance at the two other Titans who were viciously punishing their controllers, Robin shook his head. "I don't think they'll be moving anytime soon, Starfire." Shrugging, the girl exited the room, Robin following behind her at his own pace.

* * *

Readjusting the bag that was slung over her shoulder, Raven walked down the sidewalk, glancing at the other side of the street where three boys stood in a circle. Two wore dark t-shirts with jeans, whereas the third was dressed in a grubby top with no sleeves and tattered shorts. The front was stained with what looked like car oil, and Raven assumed that his shorts were actually pants with the legs ripped off. The boy in the grungy clothing cringed as the other two sneered at him. Some of their foul words reached Raven from across the sidewalk.

"Hand over your dough, pal!" one demanded, shoving a finger against the greasy boy's shirt.

"I don't got nothin', dude!" the boy cried, wincing away. "You gotta believe me!"

"Ya hear that, man?" One of the teenagers elbowed his friend. " _He don't got nothin'._ "

"Guess we'll have to give him something then, huh?" The two bullies reached into their jackets. The smaller boy's eyes flickered around frantically, searching for someone who could help, and landed on Raven.

"Hey!" he shouted. The two aggressors glanced over their shoulders at the Raven. "You! Please, help me! Call the police or somethin'!"

One of the boys flicked out a shining knife as his partner spoke. "Go ahead, call the cops. We _dare_ you, sweetheart." He leaned against a trash can, running the edge of the blade along his thumb. Raven angled her body away from the scene, hugging her bag to her chest.

"That's right, just go along now and nothin' will happen to ya," one called as they moved back toward the boy.

The moment they looked away, the garbage container that the bully had leaned on trembled. It shivered once more, taking on a dark hue before falling over and rolling backwards a few feet. Raven jerked her hand to the side. The trash can shot forward down the sidewalk, ramming into the two teenagers. The bullies fell to the ground, stunned for a moment, and the greasy boy took immediate advantage of their lack of balance and concentration, sprinting down the street in the opposite direction. Knowing it was time to make her leave, Raven melted into an alleyway, the curses from the bullies audible even from several blocks away.

Sighing, Raven emerged from another backstreet, having taken a quick shortcut through a building, and stepped once more onto a sidewalk. She hated playing the scared little girl card, but it had helped her take bullies by surprise on more than one occasion. Still, she preferred her other persona: the "she-devil" –as the local bandits had so kindly christened her- that resided somewhere in the streets of their beloved city, just waiting to "suck your blood." She couldn't exactly blame them for their theories; with her glowing red eyes and ability to move objects without touching them, it was inevitable that assumptions would be made. And she _was_ half demon after all. Raven turned and entered an aged building with a small sign- " _Books Galore Store"-_ hanging on the door _._

Since she'd left the Tower, Raven had found an easy job in the small bookstore, and she loved it. Maybe a handful of people came into the small shop per day, giving Raven time to relax and read to her heart's content without any distractions. The pay was minimum wage, but Raven didn't need much money. All she spent her cash on –other than rent- was food, books, and the occasional decoration every now and then. Raven didn't need to worry about meeting any of her former teammates in _Books Galore Store_ either, because, as far as she was aware, their interest in reading was minimal at best.

The one downside to the job was the requirements. The owner of the store had something against eye contacts and dyed hair, and, while Raven's strands weren't colored and her eyes were fine, the unnatural purple made it appear otherwise. Raven was not about to dye her own hair black –alright, so she could understand the owner's dislike of bleached hair- and she found the idea of contacts unappealing, so she found a less traditional way to resolve the problem. All it took was a simple spell to temporarily change her hair black and her eyes blue; the magic lasted long enough for her to cover a shift in the bookstore without worrying about the enchantment fading. She just had to cast the incantation before she left her house, and she would be good for the next six or so hours. As for the gem on her forehead, Raven somehow managed to convince her boss that it was a non-removable, very unusual birthmark, which was not necessarily untrue.

The other irritating rule was that all employees were required to wear the employee t-shirt, which Raven thought was extremely unnecessary. After all, the shop was just a small bookstore and none of the customers cared if you worked there or not so as long as they got their books, but the owner insisted. So it was with great annoyance that Raven donned the white t-shirt with bold red letters saying _Books Galore Store: We've Got It ALL and MORE_.

Classy.

Raven's shift was first of the day, and, after unlocking the door and flipping over the CLOSED sign so it said OPEN, she settled behind the counter with a new book, prepared for another slow morning. One or two people entered the bookstore during the next four hours, but otherwise Raven was undisturbed. However, twenty minutes to the end of her shift, the doors opened and Raven recognized two voices that she'd never expected to hear in the small shop.

"I cannot believe we did not find a suitable book of cooking at the mall of shopping!" a feminine voice sighed as the bell by the door jingled. Raven's head jerked up from where it had been bowed over a page.

"We should be able to find something in here, Star," another hauntingly familiar voice replied. Raven peered around a bookshelf in time to see a beautiful alien teenager standing beside the leader of the Teen Titans. With a soft gasp, the empath ducked behind the counter, listening to their footsteps explore the shop. If she was lucky, they wouldn't buy anything. No, that would be a miracle. If she was really lucky, they wouldn't recognize her. After all, she was wearing different clothes, and had different hair and eyes, and the white lighting could give anyone pale skin. The main problem she had was the gem on her forehead, a dead giveaway. Her sights fell on a pink baseball hat lying under the cash register, forgotten there for who knew how long. Grimacing at the color, Raven jammed the cap onto her head and stood up just as Robin and Starfire approached.

The boy wonder was a few inches taller, Raven realized, and Starfire had grown her hair out a little. Otherwise, they hadn't changed a bit. "We don't have this one," Robin was saying, examining a rather small cookbook. If Starfire was going to use it, Raven wasn't surprised it was so skinny. Robin faced Raven, placing the paperback on the counter. "We'll take this one," he said.

Regulating her nervous breathing so it didn't sound unusual, Raven ran the book over the scanner and handed it back to him. She kept her head down, the baseball cap hiding her face as she mumbled, "Six fifty."

She could feel Robin's eyes on her as he pulled the correct amount from his wallet. He paused, inhaling as if to say something, but Starfire had set her sights on the pink cap Raven wore.

"Oh, what a cute hat!" she exclaimed, clutching her hands together. "And it is pink! Tell me friend, where have you acquired such a glorious object?"

"Thank you," she breathed, sounding probably a little too relieved by the distraction. Raven cleared her throat. "And it was… a gift." She took the ten dollar bill that Robin handed her, and she fumbled for the correct change. It was just the luck she'd been hoping for that Starfire happened to notice the one thing that was hiding her identity. Raven practically shoved Robin's return cash into his hands before Starfire could ask any more questions. "Have a nice day," she muffled.

"Many glorious thanks!" Starfire smiled, tugging Robin along behind her as they exited the building. The moment the door shut, Raven collapsed in a chair, yanking the hat off her head. For the first time since she'd started working there, she had desperately wanted to leave the bookstore. Looking at the clock, she saw she had ten minutes left until someone came in to replace her. Raven pulled her hair back, taking a deep breath.

She knew that Beast Boy couldn't have told Robin and Starfire to go looking for her; he didn't know where she worked, and it seemed unlikely that the Titans would search every building around her house trying to locate her. Besides, if Robin or Starfire _had_ been trying to find her, they would have seen through Raven's disguise without a problem. No, it was pure coincidence they had stumbled into the bookstore. Raven wiped sweat from her forehead. She needed to meditate.

* * *

Beast Boy arrived around ten thirty that night. Raven had been meditating when she heard his footsteps above her, and, fighting the glow of anticipation forming in her chest, settled onto her feet. It took Beast Boy a minute to remember where the door to the basement was, but when he did locate it, he didn't take very long to enter. The door swung open, and right away a wide grin spread across his face, both relieved and happy to see the girl. Raven had to fight to keep a smile of her own from forming.

"Hello," she greeted.

Beast Boy didn't even try to hide his grin. "What's up, Rae?! You miss me?" He jumped down the stairs, landing in front of her and waggling his eyebrows. She rolled her eyes at him, and he laughed. "Seriously! Anything interesting happen while I was gone?"

"If you're so concerned in learning all about my day," Raven began, sitting on the couch, "then yes, something interesting did happen." Beast Boy dropped down beside her on the sofa, and Raven smoothed out her cloak. "Robin and Starfire didn't mention that anything strange had happened to them, did they?"

Beast Boy shook his head. "No, why?"

Raven let out a relieved breath. "They walked into the store that I work at and I feared they might have recognized me."

"What, really?" Beast Boy looked at her, surprised.

Raven nodded, crossing her legs on the couch. "Yes. I thought that you might have told them, but then I realized you don't know where I work, and there would be no reason for you to inform them of my location anyway seeing as-."

"No," Beast Boy interrupted, shaking his head. "What I meant was, really, you have a job?" Raven frowned, smacking him lightly on the shoulder as he grinned. Rubbing the sore spot, Beast Boy added, "But no, they said nothing like that, so I think you're safe. Although," he said, thinking out loud, "if they had seen you, maybe we could work together to convince you to come back to the tower."

"If you told Robin you knew where I lived, then we wouldn't be allowed to talk at all." Raven fixed her hard stare on him. "You know what my answer is going to be, Beast Boy, so don't start. As long as The Beast is still a threat, I can't go back."

"But you wouldn't have to fight with us!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "You could just live at the tower as part of the family!"

"I would feel obliged to help you whenever the team gets an alert. And if you haven't noticed, the Titans seem to attract trouble no matter where they are," Raven reminded. "I'm sure we'd have villains showing up in the Tower, and a fight would occur either way. It has happened before." Beast Boy nodded, dropping his head. Raven changed the subject, disliking being the source of his disheartenment. "Did anything interesting happen with you today?"

Beast Boy perked up, his ears lifting from their drooped position. "Cyborg and I played a new game that he just got in the mail this morning! It's called Super Ninja Six, and it's where you're a ninja who starts out in a dojo, but then your sensei gets kidnapped, and the ninja has to go on this huge adventure to save him, but he's got to watch out for all the other ninjas who've been hypnotized by an old evil student of the master-." Raven nodded, a pleasant feeling spreading throughout her body. This was what she wanted, just to talk with Beast Boy instead arguing about returning to the tower. She was certain that her absence was the solution to keeping Beast Boy out of a cage. This was her decision, and, whatever sadness that it might've caused her, this way was easier for the entire team. Beast Boy paused in his explanation of the video game. "Hey, where _do_ you work?"

Raven pulled herself from her thoughts. "A bookstore."

Beast Boy grinned, light reflecting off his canine tooth. "Of course; that only makes sense."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Raven retorted, crossing her arms.

"It means you read a lot," Beast Boy laughed. He got to his feet. "Wanna show me where the bookstore is?"

Raven narrowed her eyes, standing. Beast Boy wanted to go somewhere filled with books? She didn't believe it. "Why would you want to know that?"

"Well, it's nice outside, and I'm curious."

"Hm…," Raven doubted, considering it. "Curiosity kills the cat you know." Beast Boy morphed into a kitten and rubbed up against her leg, flicking his ear. Raven rolled her eyes, starting up the stairs. "Fine." With a happy meow, Beast Boy bounded after her.

A few minutes later, the two friends walked down the moonlit street toward their destination, conversing about trivial things. Beast Boy was in the middle of recounting the team's latest run-in with Mumbo Jumbo when three shadowed figures walked out from behind a building. The metal objects in their hands caught the light, and Raven and Beast Boy stopped. One of the figures taller than the rest grabbed Raven's arm in a calloused hand, but the empath didn't resist. "Not your lucky day is it, kids?" a voice rasped, raw from the use of cigarettes. He pointed an abraded knife at Raven. "Hand over the valuables, or she gets pricked by my sharp friend here."

Beast Boy bristled, but Raven held her free hand out in front of him, stopping his interference. She faced the criminals. "Do you really think that's a good idea?" she asked, voice dropping into a demonic tone. Her eyes shone with crimson, and the man dropped her arm, backing away.

"Wh-whoa, I didn't mean no trouble! I didn't know!" he cried, stumbling over his feet in a vain effort to get out of her reach, but Raven had hardly a short limit to her range. She stretched out a hand as the three men sprinted away, and a wave of black zipped out from her palm, encasing around the criminal's bodies. They struggled to free themselves to no avail.

Raven glanced at Beast Boy. "This won't take a minute, I promise," she said, vanishing. Before Beast Boy could wonder where she'd gone or what had just happened, Raven was back, the men nowhere in sight. "I dropped them off at the police station," she explained, seeing Beast Boy's confused and slightly worried expression. "They're fine." She began walking down the sidewalk again.

Beast Boy caught up with her, smiling. "I see you still fight the bad dudes then."

Raven nodded, scanning the sides of the buildings in case any other criminals felt like going to jail. "Yes, just not as high on the scale like I used to. I deal with common criminals now, but they're nothing special and all seem to be terrified of me." She glanced at Beast Boy. "What did you think I was doing when I found you yesterday?"

"Going for ice cream?" he joked, earning a soft elbow in his stomach. "So you've built a bit of a reputation for yourself, huh?"

Raven smirked. "Not a bad one. Unless you're a crook."

"Well, yeah." They turned around a corner, and Beast Boy glanced over his shoulder. "But you know, the way those guys just thought you'd give up so easily, this is kind of a bad part of town, isn't it?"

Raven kept her eyes on the road ahead. "That's why I chose it." They approached an older brick building. In the window, the red and white notice read CLOSED. "This is where I work," she sighed as Beast Boy tried to see through the glass windows. "While I assume you will never come here any other day of your life, this is where I enjoy spending my time."

"What, so you don't do it for the money?" Beast Boy asked, smirking.

Raven lowered her hood, quirking an eyebrow. "That's just a perk."

Beast Boy rapidly grew bored of the bookstore, and he and Raven moved back down the street. The two circled around the neighborhood for a little longer together until Raven reminded Beast Boy that he should be getting home soon before he was missed. He was already infamous for sleeping in late, and didn't need to be getting up any closer to noon. After a quick goodbye -during which Beast Boy stated that he would stop by again the next day- they parted ways.

* * *

"For the last time," Raven sighed, running her hands through her black hair in exasperation, "we do not sell toothbrushes!" The old man across the counter put a finger in his ear and twisted it, trying to clear it out. What was left of his silver hair swished left and right as he moved.

"Eh?" he asked, his voice creaky like the hinges on an old oak door. "What's that?" Trying not to lose her temper, Raven clenched her fingers in a fist and then pointed to the exit. At last getting the hint, the old man dropped his head and trudged out of the store. A girl with blonde pigtails nearby smirked at Raven, throwing a pink bag over her shoulder.

"The crazy house is that a-way!" she called to the man, aiming her index finger to the right. The ancient fellow yelled something back sounding along the lines of, "What?!" and Raven rolled her eyes.

The blonde girl placed a pink baseball cap on her head. "Have fun with this afternoon's shift," she told Raven. "I'm outta here! Thanks for finding me my hat."

"No problem," Raven replied, leaning on the counter. "It served me well."

The blonde teenager rolled her eyes, pushing on the exit door. "Whatever. See you next time." She caught sight of someone outside the window, and paused. "Hey, no fair! You get a cute customer right after I'm off my shift!"

"That old man?" Raven scoffed, picking up a book. "I would hardly think he's anywhere near attract-." She cut off as the door opened. Her eyes grew wide. "What are you doing here?" she demanded.

Skin tinged green and wearing his usual purple and black uniform, Beast Boy waved hello. The blonde girl smiled, winking at the empath for luck, and exited the store. Glancing around, the Titan approached the counter.

"Hi, I'm looking for someone who works here?" he inquired, leaning on the counter. "Her name's Raven."

Raven stared at him, uncertain whether he was playing around or not. "Are you serious?"

Beast Boy didn't crack a smile. He shrugged. "Well, yeah, I'm pretty serious when I want to be, but I don't know what that has to do with anything. The girl I'm looking for is about your height, except with purple hair and purple eyes, and she wears a cloak. Have you seen her?"

If he was joking, Raven was not amused. She rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "Beast Boy, it's me."

At last he broke his formal expression with a grin. "Yeah, I know, Rae," he chuckled. "I'm totally messing with you."

Raven shook her head, picking up a pile of books nearby and walking around the counter. "What are you doing here, Beast Boy?" she inquired, checking the call number on the book and then placing it on the shelf.

Beast Boy followed her, hooking his thumbs on his belt. "I wanted to see what it was like in here! Y'know, since last night I couldn't get a good look through the window. It's kinda dull," he admitted, glancing around at the dark walls.

"It's not as if I asked you to come," Raven reminded, moving onto another bookshelf.

"Yeah, I know," Beast Boy kicked at the air near his ankles. "But the tower got really boring, and since Cyborg's in a 'work-on-the-T-car' mode, Robin's training, and Starfire's cooking who-knows-what, I had nothing to do."

"Why not play your new video game?"

"It's more fun with Cyborg," Beast Boy sighed, trailing her back to the counter. He smiled. "And I wanted to hang out with you. Though I've gotta say," he admitted, glancing over her, "it took me a minute to recognize you. It's weird enough not seeing you in your cloak, but how did you do that to your eyes and your hair?" He reached out as if to touch it, and Raven slapped his hand away.

"It's a spell I use," she enlightened Beast Boy as he rubbed his fingers. "It lets me change the color of my hair and eyes for a few hours, and then reverts them back to normal after work. I do it because of the store rules, and my naturally purple hair looks like it's been dyed."

"Oh, so like incognito Raven, right?"

She exhaled. "Sure." Raven looked him in the eye. "But you can't call me Raven."

"What? Why not?" He pursed his lips. "That's your name, isn't it?"

"Yes," Raven said patiently, "but it would make my identity too obvious. Everyone would figure out who I was if I had people refer to me with my birth name all the time, so I created an alias."

"Alias?"

"It's a code name or pen name." When Beast Boy still looked confused, Raven thought for a moment. "It's a _fake_ name. Mine's Rachel. It's also the name I have listed under my house."

"Oh, why didn't you just say that?" Beast Boy frowned, looking at her black hair. It was very out of place for him since he was so used to the purple. "But I like your name. I can't call you Raven anymore?"

"Just not while I'm in the store around other people," Raven clarified. "My name is still Raven, Beast Boy."

Beast Boy thought for a few seconds, his brow furrowed in thought. "What about Rae?" he asked suddenly.

"What?"

"Can I call you Rae when around other people?"

Raven blinked. "I guess Rae is alright…"

"Sweet!" Beast Boy pumped his fist in the air, and then looked at Raven with bright eyes. "Hey! I should create an alias!"

"No, you shouldn't," Raven tried say, but Beast Boy apparently suddenly had his mind set on creating a code name for himself.

"What should it be…? The B-boy? Or maybe Beast Man?" He nodded, tapping his chin. "Beast _Dude_."

Raven rubbed at her temples. "Beast-. No. The whole idea behind an alias is that no one knows who you are. Why would you need one anyway? You're completely green and I have no doubt that people would recognize you no matter the circumstances." Beast Boy opened his mouth to reply when his pocket buzzed. He withdrew his communicator.

"Looks like we've got some trouble down at the jail. Cinderblock's broken out again," he said, scanning the message. He shoved the device into his pocket and faced the store's exit. "I'll talk to you tonight, Rae!" Before Raven could answer, he jogged out into the street, transforming into a hawk as he ran. Raven sighed, picking up a book and ignoring the twinge of longing that sparked within her.


	4. Somni Dulcedine

**How long has it been? Five months? I'm _so_ sorry everyone, I really wanted to update earlier, but I have a legitimate excuse this time! (Gonna go on a bit of a rant here, so if you don't really care, just skip the bolded text.)**

 **So I had the whole chapter written out and everything when my computer just decided, "Oh, you have Microsoft Word installed on your computer? You like to save all of your stuff in Microsoft Word? You think that was a good idea? Well not anymore!" The program would not open, would not work, and froze my computer for about ten minutes every single time I tried to open it. Several attempts to fix it later, the program was deleted entirely from my computer. Now I had everything saved on my flash drive, and the documents were still on my computer too, but they were saved as Microsoft Word documents, so I had nothing to open it with. And being the stubborn person that I am, I refused to rewrite the chapter in Google Docs because I already had it finished; it was just inaccessible. Fast forward a few months, and I discover that I do have another writing program on my computer... except it doesn't have any features including the all important spell check. But it allowed me to copy and paste my story into Google Docs, and here we are. So I am, again, extremely sorry for the lack of updates, and I'll try to update more frequently now that I have access to my story and my notes.  
**

 **Oof. So here we go. I hope you all enjoy the chapter that you've all waited so long for.**

* * *

That night Beast Boy once more appeared at Raven's doorstep, and they proceeded to talk for several hours. At first Raven reprimanded him for showing up in the store and possibly exposing her true identity, but when he apologized and promised to never ever do it again, she forgave him. Beast Boy then told her about the Titan's battle with Cinderblock and how the team had taken him down, afterwards going out for pizza to celebrate. Every so often he made sure to drop hints about her returning to the tower, hints that were declined or disregarded by Raven. The two friends chatted into the night, losing track of time until it was well past midnight.

Beast Boy was in the middle of explaining Cyborg's latest "shining the roof of the T-car until he could see his reflection from fifty feet away" obsession when he realized that Raven's eyes were closed, her chest rising and falling softly as she breathed. Beast Boy smiled and, slipping off of the couch, glanced around the room. A clock on the opposite wall read one thirty in the morning. He should probably head back to the tower now... but some certainly shiny objects underneath the clock had just flicked on his curiosity switch.

Upon reaching the shelf of colorful bottles, Beast Boy saw that each individual container was labeled with incantations and warnings written in different languages. He squinted at the words for a long, confused moment before his eyes started glazing over. "Ehh, I'm sure it's fine." With a yank, he popped the cap off of the closest bottle, its glass colored a shining crimson. Curious, he peeked a look in the top only to jump back when a tongue of flame leapt out from the neck of the bottle. Beast Boy shoved the cap back on, covering up the flailing fire as fast as he could, and then noticed that the sleeve of his uniform was on fire. With a shriek, he sprinted to the sink and soaked his arm with water from the faucet. The flames drowned quickly, and Beast Boy leaned over the sink gasping for breath. Several minutes passed before he realized he still was holding the fiery bottle in his hand.

"Why does Raven have a bottle that shoots fire in here?" Beast Boy muttered, placing the bottle back on the shelf with great care. Of course, he didn't think to question why he was looking through Raven's things, even moving on to the next mystery container without much thought as to what he had just experienced.

After a quick glance at Raven to see that she miraculously hadn't woken up, he picked up the next container. Leaning far away from the top of the bottle, he tugged the stopper off. When nothing sprang out or threatened to burn him alive, he warily moved closer to examine it. The edges of the bottle shone with purple particles as small as specks of sand, though the inside was too dark to see what the contents were. Beast Boy dipped his head, sniffing the top of it. A sweet, dizzying scent with the faintest trace of vanilla washed over the nosy shape-shifter, and as he blinked he swore that he saw the air sparkling. Trying to get a better idea of what existed inside, he ran a finger over the rim and examined the lavender specks. When nothing revealed itself, Beast Boy placed the bottle back on the shelf and yawned.

"I should… probably go back to the tower," he mumbled, rubbing at his eyes. He glanced at the clock; it was past two in the morning. He nodded, walking toward the door. "Yep, I should go…," -he interrupted himself with another yawn, pausing beside the couch-, "…back." His head sagged, and, fighting the sudden wave of exhaustion that claimed him, Beast Boy stumbled in reverse. He tripped backwards over the arm of the sofa and was fast asleep before he landed, his feet loosely hanging over the side of the couch.

Raven blinked her eyes open an hour later, her gaze habitually slipping to the antique clock that hung beside an antediluvian mask she'd picked up in an oddity shop. The hour hand pointed halfway between the numbers three and the four. She stared for a moment before jerking her head up. She didn't remember falling asleep, nor did she recall Beast Boy ever leaving her house.

"Beast Boy?" Was that strange fragrance sweetening the air earlier? She didn't remember it, nor did she remember such weight pressing on her arm before she drifted off. Raven glanced down. Beast Boy was leaning unconscious with his back against her, his head drooped to his chest and a dorky smile on his face. Raven fought the small blush that rose in her cheeks.

"Beast Boy," she said, nudging him with her shoulder. His response was to murmur something in his sleep and adjust his position, his soft hair tickling Raven's arm. "Wake up," Raven requested, this time elbowing him harder. When he didn't move, Raven cleared her throat. "Beast Boy." Getting annoyed, she tried to rise off of the sofa, but Beast Boy abruptly slid off of her shoulder and landed with his head in her lap, still slumbering. Raven froze, her face a shade redder, but before she could even clench her fists, Beast Boy groaned in his sleep and rolled off of her legs face-first onto the floor.

Raven paused for a moment, the scarlet fading from her cheeks, and knelt beside him, shocked to find that he was still sleeping. Shaking the shape-shifter did little to rouse him, and so Raven resorted to different tactics. She tried gently slapping his cheeks, and when that didn't do anything, she pulled him up into a sitting position. After throwing a cup of water onto his face without any result, Raven started to worry. Beast Boy was the heaviest sleeper she'd ever seen, but this was ridiculous. Even flipping him upside-down with her powers triggered no reaction. Unable to think of anything else, Raven was filling another cup of liquid from the sink -for while it hadn't awoken Beast Boy, it did make her almost smile- when she noticed a puddle of water at her feet. Pausing, Raven studied it. She knew that she hadn't spilled any water recently, so why was there a pool of liquid underneath her sink?

Frowning, she walked over to where Beast Boy was sprawled out on the floor. After a quick inspection, she found that one of his sleeves had a suspicious black streak on it. She looked at her shelves filled with potions. Two bottles were out of place. One container labeled "ignis potionem," or fire potion in Latin, was on the wrong side of the shelf, and the other marked as "somni dulcedine," or sleep spell, was on its side. Raven sighed, adjusting the potions back to their original positions. "Really, Beast Boy," she exhaled, "you should know better than to look through my things."

Raven checked the time. An hour had passed since finding Beast Boy asleep, and, knowing Robin, the Titans' leader would be getting up soon to work out or just enjoy the morning. Raven would have to get Beast Boy back to the tower before that happened. If she had six or seven hours, she could create an antidote, but the team would notice that their resident shape-shifter wasn't present if she waited that long. Kneeling down beside Beast Boy, she threw his arm over her shoulders and pulled him to his feet. "This is Mad Mod all over again," she muttered. At least he wasn't drooling. Yet. Raven conjured a ball of black and white magic that closed over her and her unconscious cargo, teleporting them into the Titans' Tower.

The sorceress walked out of the shadows, pulling Beast Boy along with her, and then paused in front of his bedroom door. ...There was a palm scanner. That was new. At least it was better security. Beast Boy mumbled something in his sleep and his head rolled to the side. Blushing for the second time that day, Raven grumbled to herself; Beast Boy's forehead was now pressed just above her ear, dangerously close to her cheek, his breath warm on her skin. She nudged him back into his original position and then froze at the sound of a door sliding open behind her.

She'd forgotten that Starfire's sleeping quarters was on the other end of the corridor. Raven stumbled backwards around a corner just as Starfire stuck her head out of her bedroom, rubbing her eyes.

"Hello?" the alien girl called, her voice heavy with sleep. Raven pressed back against the wall which suddenly moved and opened up behind her. She fell through, the entryway swallowing her in darkness before a door shut in front of her. Starfire blinked, glanced around, and then returned to her room.

Raven took a deep breath, still somehow holding onto Beast Boy, and waited for her eyes to adjust. The air smelled stale, and the ground was stiff. The blackness around her began to fade, and the dull light from a nearby window outlined the few shapes in the room. ...Her room.

Raven felt cold. She was on the floor in the corner of her old bedroom, the skeleton of her bedframe untouched just as she'd left it. The Titans hadn't cleaned it out to make a game den or storage space like she'd expected. Light dust had settled on top of the shelves, and the walls were empty, having been bare for months. Someone had messed with her bed sheets, but it had been a while ago. The communicator she'd deserted back then was also untouched, and now Raven grasped the small object in her hand, feeling the familiar ridges and weight.

Her insides ached, but she placed the device back on her sheets and returned to where Beast Boy was still sleeping in the corner. Her room didn't have a scanner installed, and the door was motion activated. She'd leaned up against it without realizing. Choosing to ignore the memories leaking into her mind, Raven picked Beast Boy up again and cautiously looked out into the hallway. Starfire's presence was resting behind her closed door. Raven pulled Beast Boy out and approached his sleeping quarters again.

Shifting the Titan forward, she pressed her hand over his against the scanning device. A red light ran over his palm and fingers, and then blinked green, the door gliding open a moment later. Dragging the shape-shifter into his room, she dropped him on the bottom bunk of his bed and then sank onto the other end of his mattress, breathing hard. She covered her face with her hands for a long moment, swallowed, murmured her mantra, and then stood.

Beast Boy was known for sleeping in, so no one would wonder why he wasn't awake for a few hours. Knowing him, the green teen would likely stir when the spell wore off around ten o'clock, turn over, and then choose to sleep until noon. Raven shifted her gaze to the boy sprawled out on his mattress. The whole situation was his fault really. If he hadn't gone snooping through her things, he wouldn't have opened the sleeping spell, and she wouldn't have ended up seeing her old room again. Raven pressed her lips together, tugging a blanket off of the top bunk and laying it over her friend. Beast Boy mumbled nonsense, rolling over. Raven watched him for a moment and then glanced out the window. The sun was peeking over the horizon.

It was time to leave. She checked that no one was in the hall before walking out of Beast Boy's room. The door hissed, closing behind her, and Raven teleported back to her house.

* * *

Over the next few days, Raven and Beast Boy decided to change their meetings to once every other night, but earlier in the day so to avoid falling asleep during their talks, and to avoid any more trips back to the tower. Raven also appreciated their agreement because she wanted some time to "Beast Boy-proof" her house.

She'd summarized the trip to the tower for him, skipping over what she deemed unnecessary details, such as accidentally visiting her room, but leaving out that specific fact hadn't stopped Beast Boy from talking about her returning to the team. Actually, knowing that Raven had been in the tower recently seemed to have rekindled Beast Boy's attempts. Every other day, he would hint that everyone missed her very much and they would all have so much more fun with her there, but Raven would briskly refuse and then change the subject. But that didn't stop the idea from nestling itself into her brain, and the notion nagged at her like an insect flying about her head. The week following the sleeping potion incident, Raven voiced her thoughts.

They were walking through the neighborhood around ten at night. Beast Boy had been casually suggesting that a surprise visit to the other Titans would be absolutely fantastic when she abruptly cut him off with glowing eyes. "Beast Boy!" she snapped, and his mouth clamped shut. Raven sighed, her magic fading so she could make better eye contact with the shape-shifter. "Do you really want me to come back to the tower that badly?"

Beast Boy nodded at once. "Yes!"

Raven breathed out, dropping her gaze to a patch of grass beside the pavement. It looked a little less stiff than the carpet in her room. "I had a thought." Beast Boy watched her hopefully. "But I haven't said anything because it's too dangerous."

"What is it?"

Raven continued focusing on the ground. "I left because you couldn't control The Beast when I was in danger." Beast Boy's face fell, and he looked away. "That's not your fault, Beast Boy," she assured, stopping so he had to look at her, "but the only way I'll come back is if you can control The Beast when you get angry. ...Or when I'm in danger."

Understanding dawned on Beast Boy. His concern quickly overshadowed it. "Oh… but doesn't that mean-?"

"If you are able to keep The Beast under control no matter the circumstances, then I will be able to return to the tower." Raven looked at him, her violet eyes serious. "You know what I'm saying, don't you?"

Beast Boy dropped his shoulders. "I don't want you to put yourself in danger..." No matter the circumstances. If he and Raven tried triggering The Beast, the sorceress would need to put herself in threatening situations. That would a problem even without involving The Beast. Yeah, she'd been able to calm The Beast down in the past, but there was no guarantee she would be able to do it again. And who knew what lengths they would have to go to in order to cause The Beast's appearance? Then came the problem of controlling The Beast once he'd transformed! It was too much. No matter how badly Beast Boy wanted Raven back in the tower, it wasn't worth risking her life. He shook his head. "I just… couldn't do that to you, Rae," he sighed. "You could get killed."

Part of him hoped she would argue, and, for the second that she hesitated, Beast Boy thought she might. But Raven just nodded, and they had continued walking down the street together in silence when Raven suddenly grabbed Beast Boy's shoulders and jerked him back, the crack of a gun shattering the still night air.

A darkly-dressed figure in a black sweatshirt and ski mask jumped out of the shadows and shoved Raven back onto the pavement. The shadowed person crouched on top of her, a black gun pressed to the sorceress's stomach, but before their trigger finger could even twitch, Beast Boy hauled the attacker away. A bullet whizzed over his head, and he leapt onto the aggressor as a tiger, knocking the pistol out of their hand and sending it skidding across the pavement. Beast Boy pounced on top of the downed assailant and roared. Shaken beyond belief, the attacker wheezed twice and then went still.

Raven checked the unconscious man as Beast Boy reverted into his human form. "You scared the breath out of him." She pulled off the crook's mask. Just a common criminal with a gun. "A three hundred pound tiger on his chest probably didn't help his case either."

Beast Boy looked at her, regulating his breathing. "Are you okay?" Raven glanced at him, dipping her head, and then went back to examining the man on the ground. Beast Boy ran his hand through his hair and laughed. "Déjà vu, huh?" he said. "You really should live in a better neighborhood, Rae."

Standing, Raven held her hand out above the man, who was washed over by a wave of black and teleported to the nearby jail. Beast Boy had turned around, ready to continue their walk when a soft hand touched his arm. Raven gave him a small smile. "I'll do it."

Beast Boy was confused. "Do what?"

"Go back to the tower. I'll do it."

"Really?! You-!" Beast Boy's eyes widened and he faced her completely. "Wait, that means we'd have to try the-the thing! With The Beast and all the danger! That's bad! You don't need to be in danger!"

Raven rolled her eyes. "I'll be fine."  
"But-!"

"That man attacked us, and you protected me. And you're trying to keep me from danger now. I don't think you could let me come to harm, and I doubt The Beast could either."

"B-but," Beast Boy protested, the heating rising in his cheeks, "you could get hurt! I might not be able to protect you! I don't know how to control The Beast! If you're gonna to put yourself in life or death situations to draw him out, I might not-!"

"I'm completely capable of taking care of myself too." Raven frowned now, cutting him off. "I know the risks, and I'm willing to take them. Do you want me to come back to the tower or not?" She crossed her arms, lifting an eyebrow.

"Well, of course I do, but-." Beast Boy stopped himself this time, shifting his weight and staring at the ground. "I just don't want you to get hurt," he mumbled.

"Simple. Then I won't."

"I don't think it'll be that easy, Raven."

"Sure it will." Raven made him look at her. "I won't be an idiot and you will dial down on your occasional lack of common sense. As long as we are sensible about this, then there's nothing to worry about. Beast Boy!" she snapped, again stopping him from watching his feet. She softened when she saw the sincere concern in his expression, and she placed her hand on his shoulder, squeezing it gently. "This way I can live in the tower with everyone again," she reminded him.

Beast Boy bit his lip. He wanted Raven to come back, but the whole idea made him nervous. "You promise you won't get hurt?"

Fighting the urge to roll her eyes again, Raven nodded. "Yes, I promise."

Beast Boy finally gave in, smiling at her a little. "Okay." He stepped forward and gave Raven a quick hug. She stiffened. "I can't wait for you to come back," he admitted, his arms around her.

"Only if this works," Raven said, waiting for him to let her go. "You'll have to be able to control The Beast entirely in any situation for me to move into the tower again." When he didn't draw away, she cleared her throat. "You know that I still don't like hugs, right?"

"I know," Beast Boy murmured, smirking into her shoulder. Raven pushed him away, smacking him over the head affectionately as she did so. He grinned, the light catching his canine tooth, and then they continued down the street, constructing a plan.

* * *

"We have to try the simplest and safest way first," Raven said, crossing her arms as she looked at Beast Boy. "Try to summon anger to yourself without any provocation."

The teenagers were standing in Raven's house, though not in the basement. They were located in the abandoned family room above her living space; a precaution in case Beast Boy did transform and go berserk. Then none of Raven's possessions would be around to be pointlessly destroyed.

Beast Boy shifted his weight back and forth, wiggling his toes and tugging at his gloves. "What, just like that? For no reason?"

Raven rolled her eyes. "That's what 'without any provocation' means."

"Is it?" Beast Boy scratched his head, and Raven glared. He expected her to be fully aware that he was stalling. Though he'd agreed to try Raven's idea, and he really wanted her to come back to the tower, he always felt unsteady when The Beast stirred within him. Raven always did understand that more than any of the Titans had.

"Yes," Raven sighed. "Are you going to stop wasting time now or should I just leave? I don't have to return to the tower." She always knew how to read right into his emotions. Not that he was trying very hard to hide his nerves at the moment.

"No, no, wait! I'll try it," he said, and Raven faced him. Taking a deep breath, Beast Boy stepped back and closed his eyes. "So just try to get mad?"

Raven nodded. "Think about things that cause your anger."

Beast Boy swallowed, chewing his lip as he focused. When was the last time he was angry? ...Well, the first thing that came to mind was when Cyborg had totally thrown him under the bus in Super Ninja Six! Sure, it wasn't very aggravating, but it was really rude. A familiar twinge of frustration sparked in his chest. Now that wouldn't be angry enough to trigger The Beast, but wasn't the point to work his way up to a high level of rage? He called up a few other incidents. Robin's early morning practices always sucked, and Starfire accidentally feeding Silky the copy of a super rare video game he'd gotten his hands on gave him a sour feeling in his stomach.

Despite those frustrations, Beast Boy realized that he hardly felt any different from when he'd started. He pictured The Beast in his head. Big, green, wild, angry. In a hazy blur, he remembered when Adonis had attacked him and his teammates. Raven had been hurt. He'd gotten angry, furious...

...But that anger wasn't there now.

Beast Boy opened his eyes. "I don't think that thinking about being angry is gonna work..."

"If that's so, then we are going to have to stop playing this safe," Raven said softly. She was sitting on the floor in front of him with a book in her hand, and she slipped a bookmark between the pages as she spoke. She'd gone through about half the novel in the time he had been concentrating. He'd been focusing for longer than he'd realized. His head kinda hurt now that he thought about it. Raven stood. "We'll need to have actual danger for our plan to work."

Beast Boy grimaced. He had been hoping to avoid any situations that could put either of them at potential risk. If Raven got hurt because of these tests-. He couldn't think like that, or the worry would eat him from the inside out.

Raven got to her feet as Beast Boy rubbed his eyes. "I think that's enough for now. It's getting late." She turned around to face the door to the basement. "I'll see you in two days."

"Yeah." Beast Boy noticed the book that Raven had left lying on the ground, and, quickly stooping down, snatched it up and hopped over to her. "Hey, Rae?"

Raven glanced over her shoulder and saw him holding the novel. "Oh." She reached out to take it from the shape-shifter, her fingers brushing his as she lifted the book. "Thank you."

He grinned. "No problem! Night, Rae!" Beaming, Beast Boy stepped back, morphing into a hawk, and flew out of the hole in the side of the building.

Raven watched him go with a ghost of a smile on her lips. "Goodnight," she said.


End file.
